** BIAFRA [non]. V. of Biafra International still on 15665 in B-09, Oct 29: 1859 WHRI sign-on, 1900 to VOBI theme music. Poor signal here with fading, heavy echo probably backscatter rather than long/short path. Fridays only 19-20. Local time change next week probably won`t affect this, but still need to reconfirm then. Or rather, reconfirm every week, as you never know what they will do next (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHAD [and non]. With a sense of foreboding, I came upon hilife music on 6165, Oct 31 at 0554, then undermodulated French announcement, clinching that RNT was on this frequency today. But I knew that RNW would soon blast Bonaire on at *0559 in Dutch, and so it did. In the meantime, a second weak signal became audible at 0558, no doubt Croatia which is scheduled to start at 0600 too. Wow, three continents in three minutes on one frequency! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA [and non]. Trying to track down Radio República, Oct 30: at 2300 found heavy jamming on 9810, a frequency they have used before, but nothing audible under the jamming, nor at 2357. Kept checking periodically, and at 0058 Oct 31, the Radio República ID and theme music was audible briefly over the jamming, both still going past 0101. By 0223 it was again jamming only to be heard. So it looks like República is on 9810 at least from 23 to 02, possibly all the way to 0400, their previous span. Lately they have been on only one frequency at a time, but not necessarily.

There is also heavy DentroCuban jamming noise on 6110. No jamming at first check 2300 Oct 30, but it started at 2359 just as R. Tirana was about to open Albanian sesquihoiur to NAm with weak signal, and jamming quickly built up force, ruining Tirana reception. Nothing else audible during following hour, and jamming completely off at 0100, clearing frequency for Tirana.

Possibly there is something else on 6110 really `needing` jamming by the Cubans, but more likely they are totally confused, jamming a former frequency of VOA Spanish an hour later than they were using it in A-09.

The VOA Spanish hour is now 23-24 on 5890, 5940 and 9885, so checked those for jamming Oct 30 shortly after 2300: 5890 heavily jammed tho VOA is strong too, but no jamming audible on 5940 or 9885. By the end of the hour at 2357, jamming had overtaken VOA on 5890. The other two VOA signals had weakened, but still could not hear any jamming on them.

Just after 2300, there was the usual lite residual/standby jamming pulsing on 9545, where it is often to be heard far beyond the hours República ever used the frequency. At 0005 Oct 31, jamming on 9545 was heavier, roughly equal to that on 9810 and against Martí on 9565, 9825. Now is RR 9810 via Sackville, or UK???

Since RHC runs 11760 22 hours a day (and the same transmitter elsewhere during the break), it`s logical to assume that the two dozen spurs around it will also be heard at many times other than when I am usually monitoring in the local mornings. And so they are. Oct 31 at 0006 UT I measure -1 circa 11708.4 but don`t take time to search out all the rest, which are certainly outgoing. How many make it depends entirely on how well propagation is holding up on that band from Cuba. At 0224 it and its +1 mate circa 11811.6 are audible but poorly.

Next check at 0547 propagation is excellent from Cuba with +1 on about 11811.9, the whines almost every 52 kHz up and down the band, as far as 12382.8 and 11137.2 (computed, not measured exactly), i.e. 12 steps each. Not just the whine, but audio audible as far as on +11, 12330.9, unusual. Keep fingers crossed that one does not land on Radio Saint Helena`s frequency,

I find it strange that no one else seems to be reporting these multiple spurs, altho there have been a few logs of RHC around 11710 as if that were an intentional frequency. Apparently people skip past and just ignore the extra noise out of Cuba. Don`t take it lying down, raise hell about it, if you care about shortwave.

With all its transmitters, RHC can spare only one for English to NAm during prime time, 01-05 on 6000, as noted Oct 31 at 0219 with poor signal; while Spanish was on 5965, 6060(best), 6120(vs Iran), 6140, plus 9600, 11760 and its 24 spurs.

Another spur check around 11760 at 1303 Oct 31, found them as low as 11453 and as high as 12275, approximately. More precisely at 1324 estimated the first ones at 11708.3 and 11811.7.

At 1309, RHC 13680 and 13760 were normal, but 13780 just a big open carrier. They could not modulate it, but kept it on as the fulcrum to make 13680 leap over to 13880, clearly audible mixing product. At 1334 found weak 15360 also unmodulated unlike strong 15120; and at 1401, 13780 was still OC only (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** EGYPT. R. Cairo, English to NAm on unexpected 6270, Oct 31 at 0212, explaining a bit o` Qur`an in English, then recitation in Arabic. Roughly same signal level as Arabic service on 6290, lower modulation on 6270 but sufficient. Until, that is, the news which followed, checked at 0217 when the YL caster was hard to make out. 6270 is the same frequency used for English to Europe at 2115-2245, so we wondered it if was a mistake at 0200-0330. Perhaps not, once they realized winter nitepath MUF would not hold up to 7540, originally planned to continue from A-09 usage (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** HUNGARY. Altho English has long since been banished, Radio Budapest holds on for dear life, with one hour in Hungarian still on the air to NAm, 0200-0300 on 6100. Fair signal at 0216 Oct 31, considerably weaker a semihour later. There had been signs in previous seasons that MR would switch to an external relay site, but this is still registered as JBR in Hungary itself (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDIA. AIR National Channel, 9425 via Bengaluru, Oct 31 opening at 1318 good with IS and Vande Mataram, so where is the Aligarh 9470 blob today? Just above, centered about 9440 with // audio, but a lot weaker. At 1356, 9425 had some quick audio dropouts during music, how annoying; by then just some noise on 9440 and could not be sure it was still the blob; however, the DRM from Irkutsk on 9440-9445-9450 got out of the area in B-09. Recheck at 1431, 9425 had news in English by YL starting with US relations, 1435 back to Hindi. Meanwhile the VBS on 9870 from before 1318 had stronger signal with music and commercials (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** IRAN [and non]. They sure know how to pick `em at VIRI! Both English frequencies of `V of Justice` to NAm in B-09 are under collisions, 7250 and 6120 at 0130-0230. Oct 31 at 0102 I find VOR WS in English on 7250, somewhat weaker than // Moldova 6240. 7250 is `Armavir` site all evening USward, so why in the world did Iran pick that? Yes, at 0214 check, VORWS is atop Iran with SAH, and 6120 is of course under Cuba, which as an outlaw nation refuses to participate in HFCC, so the Iranians could claim not to know about their usage of 6120, but what good does that do? Somebody, move! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO [and non]. XEPPM, Radio Educación with 10 kW on 6185, is still getting blown away by Brasília with 250 kW whenever the latter is on. Oct 31 at 0102, RNA was way atop the XE, ditto at 0218 check. Not sure what the current span of RNA is, but Aoki shows it 0700-0300, 250 kW at 344 degrees, plenty close to USward and Mexicoward, altho on the wrong frequency, 6180 where RNA used to shift occasionally. I wish they would again and stay there, as XEPPM is incapable of coping with this itself. Then by 0300, Vatican Radio is taking over the frequency, leaving essentially zero QRM-free time in the evening for XEPPM.

At 0601 Oct 31 I tuned to 6185 again and found an open carrier, then XEPPM joining the national anthem in progress. This was probably a late switch from the SW programming to become // MW. Now it was making a rippling SAH with Vatican which fortunately this date was relatively weak. Live DJ gave ID for 1060 only (is he even aware SW is still on??), from the ``cabina Vasconcelos`` (name of the studio) in Colonia del Valle (neighborhood location), sending out abrazos to listeners called ``educaditos`` (or was it educativos?), asserting that station transmits 24/365, then into album ``Siempre Son``. With lack of minute-by-minute program schedules any more, I am beginning to think it`s just free-form after midnight (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NEW ZEALAND. RNZI, 6170, Oct 31 at 1346 with island music, and no co-channel from Russia audible. Ron Howard found that missing yesterday, but back today before 1300 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. The station hijacked from Atoka to `Catoosa` OK, axually closer to Sperry in the woods on the N side of Tulsa, and moved to 1120 in order to free 1110 to cram yet another AM station into The Metroplex, and now pending a large power increase for that --- had not been heard since March. I have been checking 1120 every day or two, whenever I`m in the car in the daytime, with a handy preset (must not call them pushbuttons any more).

Never heard until Oct 30 at 2014 UT, same music-only fill format as before, pauses between cuts, from CD player at site? Never any announcements, and no legal ID in a few minutes either side of hourtops I made sure to monitor around 2100 and 2200 UT.

** OKLAHOMA. Late nights and early mornings I often step thru the UHF band on analog TV to see if anything is left besides my local KXOK-32. Nothing seen lately until Oct 31 around 1515 UT when the LPTVs in OKC and/or Stillwater still did come thru on channels 17, 19, and 21, but gone at next check a semihour later after some minor area tropo offburned as a frigid morning was warming up fast (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** PORTUGAL. Only on weekends can we depend on a good signal from RDPI to NAm on 15560: Sat Oct 31 at 1335 strong enough to audiblize a lite whine of slightly varying pitch, like we hear on certain other transmitters such as WWCR, WEWN. Lo fi interview on phone, 1338 song by Antônio Braga with guitar, drums, refrain ``todo o mundo é composto de mudanças``, but not sure of that last word.

Then at 1412 found RDPI also on // 17590, show seems named ``Hotel Internacional`` as mentioned a few times, but squashed by the sideband of powerful REE on 17595. Portugal and Spain are inextricably nestled together in Iberia, but that doesn`t mean they have to land 5 kHz apart on the 16m band with plenty of open space! 17590 is aimed 144 degrees from Lisbon, and supposedly on the air every day except Saturday per HFCC, but this *was* Saturday! More accurate schedule in DXLD 9-077 shows 17590 is Sat and Sun only, to Africa, i.e. Mozambiqueward (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ROMANIA [and non]. Only on Saturday mornings is REE Costa Rica taking a break from 15170 (why?), allowing RRI to come thru unscathed in the 13-15 Romanian broadcast to Europe, 290 degrees from Galbeni, so also USward. If only it were still English. At 1313 Oct 31 I found it odd to hear Romanian being spoken with an Italian accent, but apropos, as they were talking about spaghetti and other peninsular cuisine (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** RUSSIA. 6075, Radio Rossii, Petropavlovsk/Kamchatsky, Oct 31 at 1348, baroque music would have been nice were it not for the motorboating carrier (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SLOVAKIA. RSI, 7230, at 0104 Oct 31 with Slovakia Today, doing fairly well on their only NAm frequency as // 9440 is 245 degrees for SAm, CIRAF zones 13-15. But 7230 is an illegal channel in the exclusive 40m hamband thruout the Western Hemisphere, so hams are free to QRM it however they wish. The Slovax blatantly register 7230 for zones 7-10, 150 kW at 305 degrees, not even pretending like the Croatians did when they were using 40m via Germany, that it is for Iceland! And this is the only English broadcast to NAm from RSI, for which we must still be grateful, but it should be outside the hamband. Where are ARRL`s intruder-watchers? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also IRAN

** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. Not having copied accurately WWCR`s surprise announcement about switching from PMS to BS the day before, I was all set Saturday Oct 31 at 1359 on 13845: they said WWCR-2 carries The Overcomer Ministry Mon-Sat 7 am-1 pm Central = 12-18 UT, Sunday 7 am-noon = 12-17 UT. Of course it`s still wrong, as this was really happening two hours later, and at 1400 sharp, switching to the BS feed. Unless updated, it will become even more wrong Nov 1 with the one-hour timeshift in all programming post-DST (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also USA for more on WWCR

** TAIWAN. RTI 9735 Japanese service Oct 30 was very distorted, so how is it Oct 31? At 1322, good modulation but splattering just a tad above and below. Certainly an ailing unreliable transmitter like others upon Taiwan; even RA found itself off-frequency tnx to Taiwan`s relay circa 11550 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** TURKEY. VOT English on 15300, Oct 31 at 1329 with IS barely audible under RFI French making a fast SAH with it, contrary to VOT Turkish music with VG signal on clear 15350; not surprising, judging from relative azimuths (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. Checking WWCR-2, 13845, Oct 31 at 1310, had fair signal from Pastor Melissa Scott, but co-channel QRM which as noted before could only be BBC Thailand in Kyrgyz; At 1357 some HF sporadic E had kicked in to push the WWCR signal up to a very good level, such that the squeal on the transmitter became audible. Asserted ``you are watching the University Network``, which as an SWL I always find offensive. 1-800 number, and // 11775 Anguilla. I was standing by for the transition to Brother Scare: see SOUTH CAROLINA [non] (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [and non]. Looking over WRMI`s latest schedule grid as of November 1, which is available in the archives of the DXLD yg, I compute only 4 hours and 15 minutes out of the 168 hours in a week that WRMI is currently carrying Cuban exile programming in Spanish. And it is all on Saturday and Sunday evenings. No more large blocks of Radio República or Radio Cuba Libre, nor have there been for months.

Yet there is extensive, altho not continuous DentroCuban jamming of 9955, every day, making it difficult to hear most of the English and other Spanish programming which has nothing to do with Cuba. Let that be a lesson: you will be punished if you ever get involved with FueraCuban broadcasting! Complaints should be directed to Arnie Coro, a `false friend` and meanwhile you might want to tell him you are boycotting RHC not only because of all the jamming, but all the spurs they put out, lately polluting the entire 25 meter band and beyond.

Back to WRMI. When on the NW antenna, and the MUF holds up, 9955 can still arrive excellently with or without jamming. Such was the case, S9+22, UT Sat Oct 31 at 0551 toward the end of La Rosa de Tokio, playing a clip of Yemen 9780. At 1300 Saturday, about equal to jamming level with repeat of PCJ Media`s special on Faith the Dog, or rather ``The Faith Train`` instead of scheduled Wavescan and World of Radio which we hope will be back next week at timeshifted 1400 and 1430. PCJ had gained a bit over the jamming at wrapup time 1354, then WRMI QSL offer, 1400 Prague relay, 1430 Zion Fellowship, still jammed. 1500 DX Partyline doing better vs jamming (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also CUBA [and non]

** U S A. WRNO seems drifting further off 7505.0 --- Oct 31 at 0225 by counting the 40-Hz clix on the DX-398 fine tuning, we came to their carrier on 7505.5 or so. Still no sign of expanded schedule beyond 0200-0500 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. WEWN, 7555, Oct 31 at 1255 in Spanish announced that frequency was about to close, to be on 11550 and 12050 next hour. However, at 1307 nothing audible on 12050, tho 11550 was strong with kidsongs in Spanish plus SAH from something under. Must be R. Sweden aimed east this semihour only as scheduled; Taiwan transmitter produces an audible heterodyne later in the morning (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [non]. VOA Korean service, Oct 31 at 1349 on 7235 startled me with a stereo effect on my mono headphones, then found it to be underneath open carrier with tone tests on and off, fast SAH. At 1400 this 12-15 transmission is supposed to switch from IBB TINIAN to TINANG, Philippines site, so maybe that explains it, but why QRM itself? Just ask the guys in Greenville and Botswana, who in B-09 no longer have to cope with a VOA English handover at 1430 on 17585. Then checked the other VOA Korean outlets: 5890 which is Tinian thruout, was running a couple seconds behind 7235, and 9555, which switched from Saipan to Tinang at 1300, was a couple sex ahead of 7235.

On 9360, Oct 31 at 1437 wailing YL with rock song in English, S9+18, whence? Answer at 1441, Indonesian announcement. Cut off air at 1459:30 during some Michael Jackson, uncovering JBA IS from Radio Sweden. At 14-15 Fri/Sat/Sun only on 9360 it is VOA Indonesian, supposedly only the old 50 kW transmitter in Philippines aimed 220 degrees, VG here for that. R. Sweden is starting a Swedish broadcast, 125 degrees from Hörby plus English at 1530 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. Circa 7259, ratchety noise, sounds like somebody`s spur, Oct 31 at 0235, but could not find a match above or below. It was bothering a weak signal on 7260, presumably VOR to Latin America as scheduled from Moscow site, but I don`t think it was coming from that transmitter; could evade it by offtuning upward. Could be just some deliberate QRhaM against the Russian intruder (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

venerdì 30 ottobre 2009

** ALBANIA. R. Tirana Oct 29 for the 2100 English broadcast: at 2105, nothing audible on 9895, and the SAH with Farda on 7520; things improved considerably by 2122, when 9895 was audible poorly in the clear; but now it is in music fill until 2126:30 closing and theme to 2128*. 7520 had also improved to RT slightly on top of Farda. Once Tirana was off at 2128, Farda from Sri Lanka was clearly audible by itself. Checking the Albanian sesquihour from 2130, 7435 was poorly audible at 2135.

The next Albanian sesquihour, from 0000 for North America, is hit by heavy Cuban jamming on 6110 when checked at 0055 Oct 30, and presumably for the entire hour, but jamming off at 0100 clearing Tirana. Nothing is scheduled worth jamming on 6110 now, so suspect it is Radio República whose schedule is never published anywhere. More under CUBA [non]. If this keeps up, Tirana will need to move, tnx a lot, Arnie!

Also checked 7425 for R. Tirana, Albanian at 0000-0130 // 6110. 7425 was poor, and seemed to have some weak co-channel QRM after 0100. Nothing else scheduled now, but CRI English southward from Kashgar is at 0000-0100, so perhaps running over? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** AUSTRALIA. The dangers of dipping in and out of domestic radio relays: On R. Australia, 9580 and 9590, Friday Oct 30 at 1259 they were plugging what would be on in the following hour after the news: Book Reading, and Sound Quality. 1300 into ABC (not RA) newscast. What about R. Australia`s own programming, Asia-Pacific at 1305, and World Football Weekly at 1330? as at http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/programguide/universal.htmI neglected to recheck at 1305, but at 1355 the frequencies were in a sports discussion on referees, so the ABC previews were misguided, or rather totally wrong as far as shortwave was concerned (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. RHC missing from 6010, Oct 30 at 0559, allowing Colombia/Mexico [q.v.] to be heard. Probably an anomaly rather than a deliberate B-09 change, but time will tell. RHC usually waits a couple weeks after season change dates to see how things pan out, before making its own changes, since as an outlaw nation, Cuba refuses to participate in HFCC itself. However, since public HFCC is already available, frequency manager Arnie Coro might not wait much longer. Other 49m frequencies were nominal at 0602 check, Spanish on 6000, 6120; English on 6060, 6140 (Glenn Hauer, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA [non]. Looking for Radio República, Oct 30 at 0055, do not find it or jamming on 6160, as I previously suspected, just CBC vs CBC. Instead there was very heavy DentroCuban noise jamming on 6110 (ruining Radio Tirana Albanian to NAm from 0000, which was entitled to think this was a clear frequency in B-09), but jamming went off at 0100 clearing frequency for Tirana. See ALBANIA

So the jamming could be there because Radio República is now using 6110 until 0100; OR the DCJC is totally confused and still jamming a frequency used in A-09 for VOA Spanish (NOT Martí) but at the earlier hour of 2300-2400 (but meanwhile Cuba has gone off DST, not USA). Cuba jams VOA Spanish out of spite, even tho it is for Latin America in general, not just Cuba. This merits American retaliation jamming of RHC in English, but that will never happen as the USA does NOT jam, nice guys finishing last in the international radio wars.

VOA`s 23-24 Spanish broadcast is currently scheduled on 5890, 5940 and 9885, likely jammed but have not checked. This and/or the morning broadcasts may or may not make a time change when Wáshington resumes standard time Nov 1. They have done so previously for the convenience of Washingtonians, not listeners abroad. See also USA re Creole 15390.

Meanwhile, 9545, the A-09 Radio República frequency starting at 2300, is still jammed not only in the evening but much later, so is RR really still there? Need to check right at 2300 to see if it`s audible before buried by jamming. After 6110 jamming off at 0100, I searched the 49m band for another unexpectedly jammed channel but did not find one. Jamming still audible on 9545 at 0142 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ECUADOR [non]. 12025, Oct 29 at 2107, VTC vamping with its fill music loop, still the same at 2123 and 2139 chex, off before 2148. This is the ``HCJB Arabic`` broadcast at 2100-2145 via Sackville, 250 kW at 73 degrees, which is really from some other ministry and includes a portion in a north African dialect, and which in the A-seasons is on same frequency and time via UK site instead.

But now there is no feed getting thru to Sackville (or rather not even to London VTC master control), hence the music and total waste of resources. Perhaps the Christian crusaders have paid for the time anyway, so out it goes, programming or not. At 2202, 12025 was back on, now with DW German via Rwanda (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDIA. AIR Aligarh blobcheck Oct 30: not audible, not even a carrier on 9470 at 1323, tho Bengaluru was fairly good on 9425. Nor could I find a distorted blob shifted elsewhere between 9300 and 9500, so suspect it was off the air (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO [and non]. 6010, lacking Habana for a change, audiblized R. Mil, Oct 30 at 0559, and 0603 with jingle ID (not the 4-note whistle of yore mimicking a car horn denoting ``es-ra-dio-Mil`` --- do they ever use that any more?), but low het mixing with praise music, presumably the reduced signal from La Voz de tu Conciencia, COLOMBIA.

6185, R. Educación at 0602 Oct 30 with XE music, no co-channel from Vatican audible, probably due to depressed propagation from Europe, or possibly it was off; supposed to run until 0620 now as heard previous nights mixing with XEPPM.

Here`s the SW program schedule, latest one available as of September, http://www.radioeducacion.edu.mx/onda_corta_septiembre.pdf ---times local when they were UT -5, but now applicable as UT -6. This covers only 18-24 local = 00-06 UT when SW programming is separate from MW 1060 and from this you`d never know they stay on 6185 another six hours duplicating 1060.

** NETHERLANDS [non]. RNW`s Dutch via Tinang is no longer at 1300 on 9650, despite Sackville taking that hour off so it would have been in the clear. Instead heard Dutch, which means it can`t be direct from Holland, on 9670 at 1253 Oct 30, closing with satellite transmission info, 1256 national anthem, 1257 cut to English show in progress about Hebrew school, but cut off the air at 1258*. So now instead of a full two-sesquiminute secret English broadcast there is only one uniminute! This 9670 transmission in the clear is from 1230, supposedly ending at 1257, 250 kW, 267 degrees via TINIAN (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** PHILIPPINES. 9520, Oct 30 at 1345 with cute children`s songs in Sinhala (or so they seemed to me), good reception from RVA, 250 kW, 280 degrees from Palauig-Zambales, at 1330-1357, much better quality for music than VOI on 9525.9 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** POLAND [non]. V. of Indonesia forces us not to listen to its English hour at 1300, by failing to apply adequate modulation to the carrier on 9525.9, so what else is there? Polish Radio, now with good signal and modulation via, of all places, Austria at 13-14 on 11675. Listened a while on Friday Oct 30, from 1302 with news; 1320-1322 Slawek Szefs with a press roundup; 1324 other features, Business Week, arts talk, 1340 something about boxing (as in battering other humans, not preparing gifts). At some point they mentioned that Poland is among the 15 richest countries, congrats! But that means more responsibility for foreign aid. We were also noticing one or two quick chirps, two or three times a minute, not clear if on the audio feed or some kind of QRM. Transmission ended in music two or three minutes before 1400, tho supposedly scheduled all the way until 1400 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SERBIA [non]. Now it`s certain that International Radio Serbia not only is still on the air, but using its A-09 instead of B-09 frequency for North America at 01-02: Oct 30 at 0102, still zilch on 6190, but Serbian on 9675, mentioning Beograd, Srbske, etc. Fairly good signal making it this date, unlike previously. At 0142 YL in English, sounds rather like bleary-eyed OL, tho surely not broadcasting live at 2:42 am local. Furthermore, there is some very weak co-channel QRM, possibly Brasil which does not appear in HFCC, but seems zero-beat, unlikely for them, so more likely an ubiquitous CNR1 Beijing outlet (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SOUTH AFRICA. 11640 in English, African-accented preacher obsessed with Jesus Christ, Oct 30 at 0612. Good reception and not surprising since this is TWR via Meyerton at 0600-0645, 500 kW, 320 degrees, as once used for the Radio RSA North American service. What a comedown (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** TAIWAN. RTI`s Japanese service on 9735 is usually OK, sometimes puts audible spurs on 9730 and 9740 as I have occasionally noted, but Oct 30 at 1357 just as I tuned in, found very distorted and splattering signal with music ruining BBC on 9740. Fortunately RTI went off at 1357:30.

You won`t find RTI entries in HFCC, since the ChiCom force Taiwan not to participate, meanwhile themselves being the world`s premier jammer hardly in line with the spirit of HFCC cooperation; but Aoki shows this in A-09 as 13-14 via Tainan, 250 kW, 45 degrees toward Tokyo and thus also USward, likely the same in B-09 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. The VOA Music Mix strip at 21-22 UT is now on Greenville 15580, meaning excellent reception back in the central USA, such as Thursday Oct 29 during the Top 20 Countdown at 2130 pausing for news headlines.

Signal was equivalent to Greenville 15390 closing Creole at that hour, soon to be shifted one UT hour later despite no DST/ST timechange in Haiti. See also CUBA [non] about VOA timeshifts.

VOA uses 15580 from many different sites in English during the day, Botswana, Meyerton, São Tomé, Dhabayya, Iranawila and only at 21-22 from Greenville. The previous hour 20-21 on 15580 which contains Music Time in Africa Sat/Sun is currently via Sri Lanka, not much use in NAm. For that we must make do with Botswana 13710 or probably best on Bonaire 11975 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. The 0100 UT Friday broadcast of WORLD OF RADIO 1484 on WRMI, with good signal on 9955 Oct 30, since WRMI has been using the NW antenna on UT Fridays unlike most other nights. Should be the same from November at 0200 instead.

9955 still very good S9+20 at next check 0606 with rock music during a Wire Light show on the NW antenna. In fact, I would have to rate it as SSOB ``strongest signal on band``, better than WYFR 9680/9715!

giovedì 29 ottobre 2009

** ALASKA. KNLS on new 6150 for B-09, Oct 29 at 1235 with prayer in English to God we are allowed to eavesdrop upon (or is it vice versa? It would be presumptuous to assume God is an SWL), but co-channel QRM from music underneath. They add up to S9+15. Then KNLS plays some Duran2. // 6915 tho reading S9+10 is much weaker-sounding, undermodulated but no QRM, no comparison to its loud and clear neighbor WYFR on 6890 until 1245. 6915 also barely escaped ChiCom OTH radar spanning 6860-6910.

Next talk feature on KNLS at 1240: Larry Sowter (sp? I don`t find him on the website as a staff or contributor), Sowter and Friends, about fried pies in the South and how they are not microwave-compatible. The 6150 QRM seems to be in Chinese but soft-spoken, unseems CNR1; maybe it is really R. Taiwan International in Chinese, as in Aoki, but supposed to be jammed. KNLS has a penchant for picking frequencies also occupied by China and/or Taiwan (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ALBANIA. Another check of R. Tirana`s English at 2100-2130, Oct 28: this time 9895 is making it better, fair signal in the clear at 2115 on the portable DX-398 in the yard. 7520 still has subaudible heterodyne between Tirana and Farda from Sri Lanka (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA [and non]. R. Martí 5980 at 1232 Oct 29, VG signal over DentroCuban jamming, much stronger signal than on 5745. Jamming still running on 6030 and not sure if RM is on there at this hour tho scheduled, and also mixed with jamming on 7405. How to explain the disparity between 5745 and 5980? Both are 250 kW from Greenville, but 5745 is on a type 101 antenna at 174 degrees, while 5980 is a type 701 antenna at 190 degrees. We are closer to being off the side of 5745.

9545 with residual DCJC pulses, Oct 29 at 1247, because R. República had been using it in the A-09 evenings, but are they still?

RHC 11760 spurs checked Oct 29 at 1253-1257: primary one measured on 11812.4, and the giveaway whine could also be detected up to 12336.4 and down to 11183.6, i.e. plus and minus 11 steps of 52.4 kHz each (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDIA. AIR 9470 Aligarh is still blobbing away, its fixes only sporadic and temporary. Oct 29 at 1318 extremely distorted spreading 9465-9485 but peaking around 9470 with AIR IS, then Vande Mataram // clear Bengaluru 9425 and not quite synchronized. Some days they whack the beast and the blob clears up, but today still unfixed at 1330. At least they seem to be keeping it closer to 9470 instead of jumping around over a 300-kHz range (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

Checked 13845 again at 1359 and caught announcement by WWCR saying they were now switching to The Overcomer Ministry, which is scheduled 7 am - noon weekdays = 12-17 UT, and 7 am - 1 pm on Sundays = 12-18 UT (? Or did they say Saturdays?). Trouble is, this is really starting two hours later than the announced time! And no doubt there will be another confusing one-hour shift once DST is over Nov 1. Then did join B.S., talking about how President Obama is the anti-Christ, the man in whom Satan will dwell. What crap.

Meanwhile B.S. via WWRB was already blasting its bignal on 9385 at 1331, while the day before did not get switched up from 3185 until an hour later as Dave had hit the snooze alarm (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** THAILAND [and non]. R. Thailand`s SE Asian English broadcasts in our mornings may be our best chance to hear them, rather than the `US` service in the evenings when propagation is problematical: Oct 29 at 1248, very poor with flutter on 9720; better at 1413 on 9725.

At least 9725 is clear unlike previous seasons, since Costa Rica is kaput, altho primetimeshortwave has yet to catch up with that reality. Even Aoki has deleted it tho retaining many other long-inactive Latin Americans (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. WEWN on new 9390 in B-09, Oct 29 at 1236 with organ music, and this is the transmitter with the parasites plus and minus 10 kHz, making slushy mush on FEBC Chinese 9400, and also detectable with BFO on 9380 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 17750, Oct 29 at 1316 unID music, with wavering het cutting on and off, but from what happened later may have all been out of one transmitter. Nothing at all is scheduled here after 1100 per Aoki and HFCC. At 1321 the music was gone and was only hearing tone tests on and off, and then continuous. At 1329 tone stops, and 1330 music starts: it`s weird sampling of something Mideast-sounding with pseudo-random repetitions every few seconds. Signal is now very good; pause for a semiminute at 1339, resumed; at 1345 changed to full pieces of music rather than sampling, but voice-processing in order to sound inhuman, an approach I have yet to appreciate. Off abruptly at 1353:30*, never any announcements. Someone testing with this stuff for reasons unknown from location unknown. Band was certainly open from Europe and probably Greenville (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###

mercoledì 28 ottobre 2009

7520 for English at 2100 is a total loss, as already observed from Europe. IBB, contrary to original registrations, has usurped this semihour instead of starting at 2130 -- almost as if to be a spoiler, as it`s unusual to start a Persian transmission at our hourtop instead of hourbottom (Iran`s hourtop). Even on a portable radio in OK at 2110 Oct 27, R. Farda, 332 degrees all the way from Sri Lanka, is on top of co-channel from Tirana, which will have to find another frequency ASAP (unless IBB relents, unlikely). Only a very poor signal making it here so far from Tirana on // 9895, but in the clear.

Albanian at 2130-2200 is now on 7435 and 6165. At 2220 Oct 27, on portable in the yard, 7435 has a poor signal in Albanian talk; 6165 is not // with music atop, two stations mixing with a SAH. Could be Chad which sporadically uses 6165 as late as 2230, or Croatia on later than expected? 6165 is mainly for Europe, so maybe not too much QRM there.

Evening observations UT Oct 28, all from portable in the yard to escape household noise sources, so reception would no doubt be better on the main rig with longwire:

At 0130, English sign-on audible on 7425, but very poor signal.

At 0245, English on 7425 just barely audible but in the clear. 6 MHz would propagate better for both.

0330, English on 6150 poor but audible better than 7425 earlier; maybe some weak co-channel under.

0438 during 0430 English on 6100, poor but clear.

1545 during 1530 English on 13640, poor signal but clear; no problem yet from adjacents such as Darwin 13635 or Bengaluru 13645(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** AUSTRALIA. Only VL8 signal audible Oct 28 at 1310 was 2310, music and talk, nothing detectable in high noise level on 2325 or 2485. Does this mean a propagational opening very geographically selective, or were the others off or stuck on their 60m channels at night, as sometimes happens? The one on 5025 (=2485) is blocked here by Cuba (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** BRAZIL. 5045 at 0543 Oct 28, good with novelty song, R. Cultura, Pará, now a regular here nightly. Those who don`t keep up with events may assume it is the other Brazilian listed, R. Guarujá Paulista (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA. Firedrake Oct 28 at 1336: fair on 8400, null on 9000, good on 10210.

Song on 7270 // 7295, Oct 28 at 1439 --- could both be Malaysia? But would not be in //, and far too strong. Instead it`s ChiCom CNR1 jamming as Aoki listings soon clarify, and furthermore same on // 7365 and 7385.

7270 vs V. of China, Taiwan, which just started at 14357295 vs VOA Chinese, via Novosibirsk at 13-157365 not a jammer yet but a real CNR1 channel from Shijiazhuang, then jamming RTI Taiwan after 16007385 vs RTI at 10-17 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA [and non]. RHC Oct 28 at 0541: situation nominal, with English on 6140, 6060 and 6010; Spanish on 6120, 6000 with no phones ringing.

Heavy jamming against Martí 7405 bleeds far beyond, Oct 28 at 0548 with distinct pulsing on 7415, where WBCQ is already off, but would have been bad for it earlier. Maybe that`s the QRM Noble West has been complaining about? Matching pulse jamspur on 7395, and another weaker peak from same could be heard around 7440. Downward, there is more noise jamming against nothing on 7365, another Martí channel but now scheduled only at 00-05.

RHC 11760 spurcheck Oct 28: first noted in bandscan at 1345 on 12017.2 with the telltale same-pitch whine as on all the others, some of them also with RHC audio. Also 11657.2, measured on 12068.4; at 1410 measured the primary ones at 11708.6 and 11811.4, or plus and minus 51.4 kHz, then detected as low as 11297.4 and as high as 12222.6, i.e. extending only nine steps above and below fundamental.

Meanwhile at 1407 Oct 28, RHC fundamental on 15120 had a very big het of slightly varying pitch and independent fading, from a carrier on about 15119.8. Previously noted that only other 15120 station scheduled at this time is Saudi Arabia in Bengali, but hard to believe all the way from there so maybe something else. RHC`s other 19m channel until 1500, 15360, now is eclipsed by WYFR in Spanish on 15355 as noted at 1402, now scheduled 1245-1600 with a beam change at 1400 from 222 to 142 degrees upping its backward signal here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA [and non]. What`s become of R. República in B-09? Only way to find out is by monitoring, as never registers or publishes its own schedule. That does not keep the DentroCuban Jamming Command from finding it right away, so why be so secretive?

I may have found it on new 6160, as I was monitoring for Tirana, Oct 28 at 0130, there was Spanish plus noise jamming, and I think I heard República mentioned. Next check at 0250 appeared to be gone, leaving traces of CKZU/CKZN which would be big victims of the Cuban radio war whenever República may be on 6160. Too, there was now big splash from 6165 where Bonaire RNW Spanish switches from 210 to 305 degrees usward between 0157 and 0200.

CKZN and CKZU are nonentities as far as HFCC is concerned and thus deserve no protexion whatsoever. That leaves no transmissions to or from the Americas scheduled at any time on 6160, making it ripe for a secret República broadcast. It still needs to be confirmed here. If so, does this make it less likely to be via Sackville instead of UK? Would CBC`s RCI nix even a veiled transmission on 6160 in deference to other CBC transmitters on the frequency, or overlook them? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDIA. Reception from AIR was very poor Oct 28, but as far as I could tell the Aligarh blob was not in play at 1340, just very weak signal on 9470 as well as 9425 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** KOREA NORTH [and non]. Oct 28 was a Korean morning, rather than anything from PNG or Indonesia on the lower bands, at least when I started monitoring at 1303: assertive Korean talk // on 3320 and 3250 from Pyongyang BS; at 1304 noise jamming from North vs South on 3480, 3912, but at 1325 the S Korean cland Korean talk was atop noise jamming on 6518 // 6600 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** KOREA NORTH [and non]. 9880, Oct 28 at 1431 in Japanese with piano music, sounds almost like a hymn. Must be one of those services obsessed with abduxions --- exactly: per Aoki, Furusato no Kaze via Darwin, AUSTRALIA at 1430-1500 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NEW ZEALAND [and non]. 6170, RNZI still with collision from Khabarovsk, Oct 28 at 1327 Russian music bothering Dateline Pacific report on Apia aftermath; by 1435 VOR Chinese was atop RNZI with SAH. RNZI will be concerned about this only if also a problem in its own Pacific target area (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** PHILIPPINES. 7505 with sounds of a revival; could it be WRNO back on expanded schedule? Oct 28 at 1436, soon dashed by discussion in Chinese. Instead it is FEBC via Iba site at 330 degrees, at 1400-1630, so WRNO would be advised to avoid this timeslot anyway (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SERBIA [non]. Still no sign of any signal from IRS on B-09 scheduled 6190 for NAm at 01-02. Instead, Oct 28 at 0130 I am still finding something on 9675, its A-09 frequency, but too weak to be sure what it be. There is now supposed to be one English broadcast at 0130-0200 except UT Sundays (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. WWCR-2, 13845 observation Oct 28: at 1352 thought I was hearing PMS again, a woman preaching, but should have confirmed by // Anguilla 11775, because at 1421 I found 13845 to be back on Overcomer // but not syncho with WWRB`s fading 3185. Since WWCR has never acknowledged carrying Overcomer instead of University Network on 13845, I am beginning to wonder if whenever that happens, it`s a mistake like punching up the wrong satellite feed channel (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** TURKEY. VOT English at 1330 check Oct 28: at 1345 just barely audible on 12035; at 1403 // 15300 underneath RFI in French, producing a SAH due to non zero-beat transmitter tuning. I will not be surprised if despite this, VOT stays on 15300 for the remaining 5 months of B-09. It varies from station to station, but VOT has demonstrated an unwillingness to make any changes once a season starts, witness 9830 which clashed with RTTY for seven months at 2200, despite our repeated unsolicited advice to do something about it.

Sometimes it`s a standoff, as both stations claim they had priority to a frequency, but this certainly does not apply to 15300, which RFI has used for a very long time, and also uses for many more hours a day than this one hour from VOT. Therefore it`s obvious to any objective observer that VOT is the one which should move ASAP. Saving face, however, by not admitting a mistake, may be more important than providing listeners (who cares about them?) with a clear frequency to hear, and incidentally also making the program producers` work worth doing (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U K. 13750 with VG signal in Russian interview, Oct 28 at 1423. This will be a problem for RHC if it ever resumes Aló Presidente on Sundays from 1400 --- no, it won`t: This hour is BBC Russian via Rampisham, but scheduled M-F only (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [non]. IBB has made the mistake of picking 9325 for broadcasts from Tinang to Asia. As an outlaw nation, North Korea refuses to participate in HFCC, and thus IBB could conclude the frequency was available, even tho any savvy SWL would know Pyongyang has used it for sesquidecades. Per Aoki it`s currently VOK all the way from 1300 to 2050. Frequency managers are not really doing their job if they only go by HFCC, ignoring easily available more comprehensive schedule sources. Aoki shows Korean azimuth as 325 degrees, alternating Korean, Russian, German, but if we get it way offbeam over here it is also likely to be a problem in much closer SE Asia.

So VOA is now scheduled on 9325 at 1300-1530, due west from Tinang, first in Vietnamese, then one hour each in Khmer and Burmese. Oct 28 at 1336 Cambodian was getting co-channel from VOK in Korean with a fast SAH. Same situation at next check 1427, 1429 VOA theme, Washington outro ID in English, 1430 opening Burmese still clashing (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [non]. 13820 Oct 28 at 1353, VG signal in S Asian language, man with clear, expressive enunciation, probably telling a bible story, punxuated by woman making assenting murmurs. 1355 hymn theme, Family Radio Oakland address, and also a GPO Box in Dhaka, Bangladesh --- so it`s Bengali as scheduled. I noticed this since I was expecting to hear at least DentroCuban jamming if not R. Martí, but that does not start until 1400 while YFR allegedly goes on another hour via Nauen to Bengal (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 6150 with big steady open carrier, Oct 28 at 0540-0546:30*. No likely sources listed. Could be an IBB test-only frequency from Greenville, not used for real broadcasts (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###

The B09 HFCC public file has been posted at http://www.hfcc.org/data/b09/b09allx2.zip . As usual, it omits the schedules of many Asian broadcasters. I've incorporated it into the combined schedule spreadsheet I post at the hfskeds.com site below. (Dan Ferguson via dxld ml)

martedì 27 ottobre 2009

6110 in Albanian at 0104 UT Oct 27: Fair signal but muffled audio, talk into music. There is lite interference from presumed Cuban jamming residual clix centered about 6108. This would continue to be heard thru the evening, but not much of a problem. Nothing audible on 7425 in the noisy inside environment, but could be heard weakly outside in the yard on DX-398 portable, where all the subsequent chex were made:

7425 at 0138 in English, poor reception; while 6110 was still open along with 6105-6115 so could be used instead with better propagation.

7425 at 0250 in English, again poor, and 6110 still available.

6150 at 0330 in English, good signal, no adjacent interference but possibly something very weak underneath on 6150. Nothing significant listed, but Aoki reminds us of Bayrak, Brasil, and surely too early for Yakutsk.

6100 at 0430 in English, good, about the same as 6150 an hour earlier. No interference here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA [non]. CRI made its usual B-season switch from 9650 to 15230 for English via Sackville at 13-14, leaving a one-hour gap on 9650 between KBS English and KBS Korean, but Oct 27 at 1333 there was nothing else to be heard on 9650. However, on a good day one ought to be able to catch Radio Sonder Grense from RSA, now scheduled 07-18 with 100 kW, 275 degrees from Meyerton (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA [and non]. RHC Oct 27: at 0602, 6140 in English this date, some hum, and phone JBA ringing in background on this frequency only, not so on // 6000 or 6060. 6140 now suffering splash from 6145 which is RFI in Hausa via Issoudun, 170 degrees but quite strong here way outside Hausa-land. Meanwhile RHC in Spanish on distorted 6120 and Camping-mixed 6000.

RHC 15120 at 1351 had an audible het on the lo side of about 200 Hz. Looks like the only possibility is BSKSA`s Bengali service, unless it`s yet another Cuban defect.

The 11760 spurs are still going Oct 27. At 1352 centered approximately 11707.5 and 11812.5, further away from fundamental than usual, 52.5 kHz. This time 11760 had a weak whine audible underneath otherwise good modulation, the same pitch making the multiple spurs detectable, as low as roughly 11235 and as high as 12185, not measured.

Listened to 11760 at 1402 as Despertar con Cuba was closing until tomorrow at ``6 am``, then at 1404 current almost-correct EST timecheck as 9:03 ``en todo el territorio nacional``. Well, duh, a small but untiny country like Cuba would never have more than one timezone in effect! No frequency listing at this hour, into a couple minutes of news, and Voces de la Revolución, Fidel at a fever-pitch from antaño (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDIA. Good thing I said ``apparently`` the Aligarh blob had been fixed as of Oct 26, since it was back Oct 27! At 1326 centred about 9472, extreme distortion spreading 9465-9480 // but not synchronized Bengaluru 9425. However, next tuneby at 1329 found the blob replaced by normal weak properly modulated AM signal on 9470. Perhaps the engineers started up the defective transmitter by mistake as usual at 1318, then switched to the good one a dekaminute later. So that is still progress (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDONESIA. VOI, 9525.9, Oct 27 at 1331, very undermodulated in W&M conversation, and soon could be recognized the voice of the guy from Banjarmasin as usual Tuesdays for Exotic Indonesia. Useless to try to get anything out of it.

RRI, 9680, good modulation unlike the VOI transmitter down the hall at Cimanggis, Oct 27 at 1335 talking over music rather than CCI as first seemed; 1336 song called Rosita. Aoki continues to show this closing at 1300, but consistently heard some two hours further; and apparently the Chinese radio war no longer wages on 9680 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** KOREA NORTH [non]. Tuned in 5985 barely in time to hear a couple notes of piano music until 1430* Oct 27. Good signal, so Shiokaze should have been easy listening from 1400, tho not likely in English on a Tuesday (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO [and non]. Radio Educación`s co-channel QRM problems on 6185: Oct 27 at 0250 check I find a rippling fast subaudible heterodyne already, which must be from Vatican, not scheduled to start programming until 0310 in Armenian. Next check at 0603, XEPPM talking rather than playing anthem as 24 hours earlier so it must have been closer to 0600 this date; but co-channel QRM still from Vatican now in Scandinavian language // 7335 mixed with Tunisia. VR finally finishes 6185 around 0620 and then I could enjoy XEPPM`s eclectic music in the clear. At 0631 it involved voice as instrument plus synthesizer, perhaps by Philip Glass with a dose of minimalism.

At next check 0710, however, XEPPM blown away by Brasília, which must be signing on an hour earlier due to DST there. XEPPM is such an excellent station that it deserves a worldwide clear frequency! Tell that to the Mexican authorities or XEPPM itself who have no concept of the need for active frequency management and the ability to shift as needed. Last year, some Mexican SW frequencies finally got recognized by HFCC, but that did no good, and they have probably been deleted now (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NETHERLANDS [non]. 49 meters used to be clear of most of the big relay signals after 0530, but irrelevant DST shift in Europe has led RN via Bonaire to move its Dutch transmission one UT hour later even tho NAm remains on DST! 6165 now *0559 Oct 27 with IS for only one minute mixed with Dutch IDs, then sign-on mentioning this and several frequencies for parts of Europe, blowing away CBC on 6160 [see NEWFOUNDLAND]. VG signal strength but lots of selective fading and consequent heavy distortion. Also noted timesignal at 0630 and *then* national anthem until 0631* This is aimed 320 degrees for WNAm. And the transmission is axually registered until 0631, but supposedly ends four minutes earlier on Sundays only (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NEWFOUNDLAND. CBC Radio 1 has canceled CBC Overnight, the service it has carried for several years consisting of `SW` stations from abroad put together for them by WRN. Now Radio Canada Immigration gets its big break, The Link carried on CBC`s domestic network, even if it is the middle of the night. And consequently relayed back on SW by CKZN, noted Oct 27 at 0557 as Marc Montgomery was upwrapping its first hour urging listeners to stay tuned for second hour. Usual fast rippling SAH from CKZU, as the two CBC SW stations on 6160 cannot match their frequencies accurately.

The old schedule here http://www.cbc.ca/overnight/schedule.html has still not been updated. Andy Reid points out the daily CBC sked http://www.cbc.ca/programguide/daily/2009/10/27/cbc_radio_one/which shows The Link at 2-4 am local, and the rest mostly BBCWS now. To avoid further confusion, in the case of CKZN, `local` time means Atlantic, not Newfoundland as CBC scheduling is simultaneous, not one semihour offset. However, poetic justice at *0559 when RN Bonaire cuts on 6165 and blows away 6160. More about that under NETHERLANDS [non] (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NEW ZEALAND [and non]. RNZI, stuck on 6170, continues to confront co-channel QRM in B-09: Oct 27 at 1320, Dateline Pacific with considerable interference from Khabarovsk, and SAH of about 4 Hz; however, no het from DZRM 6170.4 audible today. Meanwhile the other RNZI transmitter is idle, taking a DRM break but could be run elsewhere as a clear AM channel (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** PORTUGAL. RDPI on new 7345, Oct 27 at 0613 giving detailed satellite, FM, DRM tuning info as they do periodically during the day, then ID as ``RDP Internacional, Rádio Portugal, rádio pública, rádio para todos``. That about covers it. This is ex-7240 in A-09, which in turn is now occupied by DW English via – Portugal. 7345 is now scheduled M-F only at 06-07, 45 degrees, but good here off the side (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SERBIA [non]. IRS is supposedly scheduled in B-09, for NAm: on 6190, 0100 in Serbian, 0130-0200 English, except with Serbian occupying the entire hour on UT Sundays. No more second English broadcast. Except I have heard nothing on 6190 checked UT Oct 25, 26 and 27. But on 27 I was hearing something Slavic on 9675 after 0100, and since nothing else is scheduled there now in B-09, I suspect IRS have been slow to make the frequency change. More chex needed, especially for English at 0130 on 9675 or 6190.

** SPAIN [non]. Confirming the co-official token language segment still exists on REE tho timeshifted post-DST to M-F 1340-1355 on numerous frequencies: Oct 27 at 1349 on 15170 via Costa Rica, concluding Galician segment with strong Castilian accent, sea-chanty theme, 1350 into Basque segment which of course after the intro in Euzkadi, is really safely in Castilian so it can easily be monitored to prevent anything pro-ETA being conveyed. First is Catalan at 1340. Meanwhile, 15170 had music co-channel underneath about 4 Hz away. Yes, RRI is again colliding at 13-15, 290 degrees from Galbeni in Romanian (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** TUNISIA [and non]. Never mind my recent schedule for RTT that 7335 would not start until 0700. Oct 27 it`s already going at 0611, news in Arabic mixing with Scandinavian talk from Vatican // 6185 which is also in collision, with Mexico. Did Vatican too expect Tunisia not to start 7335 until 0700? Unlikely, as Vatican does its own thing and allows several collisions to go on season after season. It`s up to other stations to get out of the way, if they care. RTT is // clear 7275, at least. Could the confusion be due to a delayed DST shift? No, timeanddate.com says no DST in Tunisia this year (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** TURKEY [and non]. VOT on new 6040 via Sackville, Oct 27 at new hour-later time 0433, in correct language, English, sufficient altho not super signal, but much better than // 6020 direct from Turkey buried against the het from Perú`s perpetually off-frequency Radio Victoria. Any station voluntarily broadcasting on 6020.0 during the Peruvian night is incredibly foolish, yet Turkey is not the only one; a string of them still do, blithely ignorant of the het driving away listeners:

CRI via Albania at 00-04, Turkey at 04-05, VOA French from Greenville to Africa at 0530-0630, RRI at 0630-0700 in English DRM, Australia 0900-1100, RNW Bonaire 0930-1000 in Dutch. They all could chip in and buy Victoria a new correctly cut crystal for a pittance, but that might not be welcomed from its clashers who would keep doing so, merely without the het.

What about VOT`s English at 1330? Oct 27 at 1347, RFI in French was atop 15300 with a fast SAH, but VOT clear on 12035 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U K [and non]. BBCWS now quite good on 15575, with interview about paying taxes (or not) in Ireland, Oct 27 at 1343. 15575 during this hour only is 90 degrees from Skelton, while at 07-13 it`s 97 degrees from Cyprus (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. KVOH already on the 17775 air at the early hour of 1421 Oct 27, VG S9+20 with praise hymn in Spanish. Supposedly authorized only from 1500, but previously heard as early as 1445. The sun had barely risen in LA at 1409, so a quick MUF buildup, likely facilitated by HF sporadic E not reaching VHF.

KVOH continues to be FCC-registered for another frequency, 9975 at 01-08 and 13-15, and once in a while someone claims to have heard it in the evening, but I am not convinced it is ever really using 9975. Definite IDs required (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A [non]. 9670 good with country song in Burmese, Oct 27 at 1334, then mentioning BBC, VOA and Australia, into distorted woman-on-the-street interview. Scheduled as VOA Burmese via Tinian at 1330-1400 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** VATICAN. VR collisions: see MEXICO, TUNISIA

UNIDENTIFIED. 11785 at 1433 Oct 27 with buzz very much like the Saudi sound on 21505, later 15435, but no likely suspects listed; atop CRI in Chinese via East Turkistan. BTW, Hmong Lao Radio on WHRI 11785 is expected to shift one UT hour later Nov 1 to 14-15 Sun & Sat (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 15465-15470-15475, DRM noise at 1346 Oct 27. Is any DRM scheduled here or on any nearby frequency in the B-09 schedule at http://www.drm-dx.de/ ? Of course not (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 15775 the center of a whiny, mushy signal with fades, so not local, Oct 27 at 1341; rather like somebody`s spur but no matches nearby or clues (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###

UNITED STATES, Greenville Voice of America-VOA 9490 2250 English 333 Oct 25 OM with comments on the economy. YL with music vocals then back to the OM with a VOA ID 2255. Another OM with the VOA ID at 2300.

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lunedì 26 ottobre 2009

** ALASKA [and non]. KNLS on reactivated 6890 for the 1400 English broadcast, Oct 26 at 1430, just very poor in music and so presumed, but what else? It was better before 1400 in Chinese, and there is a beam change between them from 300 to 270 degrees. At least 6890 is not likely to collide with anything, and may improve here on better days. Or 6915 for the 12-13 English prepeat, also due west from Anchor Point.

You would never know this on a Mercator, but obviously on a globe, the 270 degree azimuth from Anchor Point goes a few degrees east of Tokyo and close to Cebu, but mostly over water. In case there is an equivalent minor lobe directly off the back, 90 degrees from there enters the Lower 48 at the NW corner of North Dakota, crosses near St Louis, Nashville, Atlanta, down the east coast of FL, to Nassau. Nashville? Perhaps that is no coincidence, as it is KNLS HQ at World Christian Broadcasting. Hmmm, how`s their Madagascar project, delayed by the coup, coming along?

While we`re at it, how about KNLS` 300-degree azimuth and its reciprocal 120? 300 goes pretty far west in China, centered on Lingshi, missing the hugely populated eastern regions, but presumably the beam is pretty broad by then. 120 skirts the CA/NV border, and down the west coast of mainland Mexico, so both are about the same angle away from Enid.

However the 300 degree antenna can be slewed to 285 for some of the Chinese broadcasts, such as 13-16 on 7355, so that`s close to us backwards. And to 315 for some of the Russian. In fact, 270, 285 and 315 are all slews from the primary azimuth of 300 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ALBANIA. R. Tirana`s B-season frequency, 13640 doing well on the first day of English at timeshifted 1530: Oct 29 carrier already on the air at 1524. IS started at 1528:30, modulation lo-fi and distorted like from a worn-out tape. 1530 YL announces new transmission schedule dated 25th of October 2009 to 27th of March, 2010, as always at the beginning of each broadcast taking a couple of minutes:

Otherwise Canadians must consider themselves adjuncts of the USA. Monday-Sunday? This is misleading. In UT terms, the first broadcast at 1530 is on Monday, and the last one at 0430 is on UT Sunday. But there are no broadcasts in English between 0500 UT Sunday and 1530 Monday, a 34.5-hour gap.

At 1540 there was an item about a meeting in Vienna evaluating Albania`s parliamentary elexions this year, the US ambassador saying allegations of irregularities were groundless, as the socialist opposition had been claiming. Occasional chirps of interference were heard, unknown source. Cuban splatter? Spread-spectrum, or some other utility? At least CODAR does not normally reach this high above 13600.

The 1945 frequencies were not making it here Oct 26, except for traces of carriers. We assume they are good in Europe and perhaps in eastern NAm, and may improve here as winter oncomes. No better at 2100, I am afraid: trace on 7520, nothing audible on 9895.

Radio Tirana will be eager to hear from listeners how these and all their language broadcasts are coming thru, any unexpected interference problems, etc.? Note that the 0330 has been shifted from 6110 used last winter, to avoid Ethiopia, but is 6150 really clear now? And is there any residual DentroCuban jamming on 6100 at 0430? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

RA is still closing its best frequency toward NAm, 70 degrees from Shepparton on 9580, at 1357, while continuing 30 degrees toward Alaska on 9590 until 1600. Now I hear Vietnamese on 9580 at 1438, which is BBC via Singapore at 13 degrees, but this frequency starts at 1345 in Burmese at 340 degrees, so that could also QRM RA here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA [and non]. It`s B-season again, so WYFR resumes colliding with RHC on 6000. WYFR now scheduled 0500-1000 at 181 degrees, and at 0611 Oct 26, Camping in English could be heard droning atop RHC in Spanish, the latter // 6120, while music in RHC English service was on much stronger 6010, 6060, 6140. Phone ringing could also still be detected on 6140. Since RHC refuses to participate in HFCC, WYFR can safely pretend RHC is not there, but both audible with weak signals here on 6000.

It appears RadioCuba has been working on the RHC 11760 spur problem --- or is it just random variation? Oct 26 at 1333, instead of the modulation and whine on the closest ones, I was just hearing some continuous noise bursts circa 11708 and 11812, also weaker around 11866, 11656 and 11604 but none further afield.

At 1506 the 11760 spurs were showing up again circa 11811.6, not only whine but audio again, and somewhere around 11970, but before I could start to nail them, gone again and all previous spurspots clear. Loose connexion? At 1527 the spurs cut back on again, now also putting a buzz on Anguilla 11775; at 1529 there was a buzz circa 11722 cutting on and off

Commies vs Commies: in B-09, RHC`s weak signal on 13680 finds itself abutting very strong CRI via Sackville on 13675 and overcome by it, Oct 26 at 1411, as now scheduled 14-16 in English, then Chinese, with Austria 16-17 relayed as well. Weak 13680 still losing out underneath CRI Sackville 13675 spread at next check 1512.

R. Martí continues to be very loud and clear in OK, for what that`s worth, aimed at Cuba from Greenville roughly 90 degrees offbeam, on reactivated 15330 at 1418 Oct 26; no jamming detectable, while vacated 11845 still bore pulses. However at next check 1522, there were signs of noise jamming beneath RM on 15330.

A standard tactic of jammed services is to be sure to use the highest frequency that will propagate to the target, as jamming is less effective against it. Remember when RM used 17 and even 21 MHz? All Cuba can do is run multiple short-range groundwave jammers in every possible city, as the skip distance on skywave at 15+ MHz is too great to jam effectively from one end of the country to the other, altho that does not keep them from trying.

Look for Venezuela to clandestinely coöperate with Cuba as an ideally placed jamming site just far enough away. I would not be surprised if some secret extra transmitters for this very purpose go into the new Guárico site for RNV, which is supposedly due to start up by December.

Meanwhile, the DentroCuban jamming command continues wasting its resources, while the Cuban people have to subsist on rationed food. Altho R. Prague relay via WRMI 9955 was clear of jamming around 1410 Oct 26, at next check 1428 during the irrelevant R. Prague French schedule announcement, it was already being overcome by grinding jamming, building up more and more during the following semihour so that the DX program in Italian, Studio DX with Roberto Scaglione, could not corrupt any DentroCuban would-be listeners, even tho it`s on WRMI`s NW antenna USward.

I was all set to monitor RHC`s frequency announcement around 1500 in case there has been any change, and also to hear their timecheck which should now be 10 am instead of 11 am [see discussion under MEXICO]. Unfortunately, I picked 13780 to listen to, and that cut off at 1459 just before the upcoming frequencies could be announced! Quickly retuned to 11760 but that was already off. Perpetually distorted 11800 still on, but by then the announcement was over and it went to open carrier. Just before 1501, 11760 came back on, with modulation cutting off and on. Meanwhile RNV was loud and steady on 11680 in English intro (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** GREECE. I spoke too early Oct 25, or should I say too late, that Miraya FM via Slovakia was safe on 15650 from 1500, since Greece was on 15630 when checked at 1551. Axually, per the B-09 sked via John Babbis, VOG switches from 15650 to 15630 at 1550, and so on Oct 26 I was indeed hearing Greece atop Miraya on 15650 at 1515, producing a fast SAH. Recheck 1543, Greek music still atop Miraya. Last spring, IRRS maintained that there was no problem with this collision in their Sudanese target area, but there sure is here, and no doubt where the paths cross around the Mediterranean (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDIA. AIR National Channel, Aligarh, *apparently* has finally got rid of the horrible distorted wideband transmission from the unit supposed to be on 9470, which had been ongoing at least since August. They indicated to Alok Dasgupta that this could be done with B-09 season changes, using a different transmitter for the service, as they had already started doing after 1600. Let`s hope the defective one does not show up anywhere else!

Oct 26 at 1353, weak but non-distorted signal on 9470 unsynchronized, slightly ahead of // 9425 Bengaluru. AIR 9470 signal was so nominal that intermittent Russian-style tone tests could be heard mixing, evidently warming up to start something at 1400, and indeed VOR from Moscow southward is scheduled at 1400-1800.

AIR 9470 became weaker and weaker, so also checked AIR on 9425 later. At 1434 news by YL in English audible on both, 1435 Hindi announcement and music, then ``Hello, and a very warm welcome to. . .``, could not catch to what, but into rock music. On 9425 there were split-second audio dropouts occasionally. Next check at 1534, 9470 was inaudible, 9425 with flutter, once again YL news in English, but this cast is longer, with mid-ID at 1538 and more news.

Meanwhile I was enjoying the music on VBS 9870 altho one 2-minute segment at 1451 annoyingly consisted just of clips and exhortations --- the Indian equivalent of K-TEL? Finally we got a full song at 1453 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDONESIA. VOI on 9525.9, Oct 26 at 1350 during the English hour, but just barely modulated with music. Also gets het from 9530 when something is on there (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** IRAN [non]. Again this B-season, 15410 resumes as a good spot to listen to Radio Farda. Oct 26 at 1518, pop song in English, maybe Morrison from the Doors? But tape snagging occasionally, pitch dropping (so it`s a playback problem rather than a recording problem, since tape snagging then would produce increased pitch on playback). 1521 YL mentions Farda, then Persian rap. At 14-16 Farda is via Skelton UK, 300 kW at 95 degrees, but 15410 also in use 11-12 from Biblis, 100 kW, 85 degrees, and 12-14 Lampertheim, 100 kW, 77 degrees (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** JAPAN [and non]. NHKWNRJ on new 5955, Oct 26 at 1404 in English news, running two words ahead of Sackville relay on 11705. 5955 is Yamata at 230 degrees. I am no longer noticing a pre-echo on 11705, from // Yamata direct, and guess what: 5955 apparently replaces 11705, as same target and azimuth for both, CIRAF 49, 50, 54 at 235 degrees, also with Indonesian at 1315-1400 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** KOREA NORTH [non]. Tnx to Ron Howard info, found Shiokaze, clandestine from Japan on new 5985, ex-5910, Monday Oct 26 at 1401 with usual piano music, Japanese announcements, IDs in passing. No sign of Myanmar here, which Ron laments will collide in Asia as well as California, but then we never heard Myanmar before Shiokaze barged in (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO [and non]. 6185, XEPPM, Oct 26 at 0604 playing Mexican national anthem. Therefore, must be back on standard time (local midnight CST) a week before El Norte! How inconvenient. Mexico also started on April 5, four weeks after USA March 8, so only one week of confusion in the fall is a blessing.

While we`re at it, consulted http://www.timeanddate.com/time/dst2009b.htmland found that the only countries moving in lockstep with the USA by ending DST on Nov 1 are: [most of] Canada, St Pierre & Miquelon, Bermuda, Turks & Caicos --- AND: Pakistan, Syria! We understand how Islamabad would want to keep in step with Washington, but Damascus?

Cuba also reverted to EST on Oct 25 altho it did start DST with US March 8, as easily uplooked in this version http://www.timeanddate.com/time/dst2009.html which could be for no other reason than to keep in step with the gusanos in Miami, at least in the spring. Local zoneshifts, however do not affect timings of RHC external broadcasts, but they should be giving UT-5 timechex now. Plenty of other aberrations do affect their scheduling!

Radio Educación was mixing at 0605 with Vatican Radio in some Scandinavian language on 6185, producing a fast SAH since XEPPM is off-frequency. Now that collision runs all the way from 0300 to 0620. Since Mexico does not participate in HFCC, how is Vatican to know XEPPM even exists? Mexican/Catholic relations have always been problematical (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NETHERLANDS [non]. Looks like 21525 to W Africa from Bonaire might work back here in N America for us recalcitrant SWLs on a good afternoon, as we used to listen to the W African service out of Bonaire on 17 MHz. But how can three programs all be at 2000 UT Mondays on the same frequencies as given in this week`s RNW program previews newsletter?

So here`s how: ``2000`` does not really mean 2000, but sometime during the following hour, and the shows have been shortened so three of them fit into less than hour:2000-2015 News/Newsline2015-2035 Curious Orange2036-2056 Network Europe Week

21525 was coming in OK Oct 26 at the start of the hour, S9+10 but with fading. It`s 250 kW, 90 degrees from Bonaire. So was 11655, which is 250 kW, 295 degrees from Madagascar with less fading, also in use from 1800 to 1957 in English at 300 degrees.

In order to serve C & W Africa from Madagascar, RNW can`t help but send these signals toward NAm too, much as they would wish not to. 295 is centered on St Louis, Sénégal at the Mauritanian border, and former site of Mauritania`s extraterritorial SW service shortly after independence before Nouakchott was set up; after all, it had all been French West Africa. This beam transits the Atlantic, and then crosses near Jacksonville, New Orleans and Houston.

300 degrees enters our continent around Wilmington, onward to The Metroplex, closer to OK, but from that far away it has spread out so much that 5 or 10 degrees difference does not matter much (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** NEW ZEALAND. RNZI had to stick with 6170 instead of planned 7440 at 13-16 in B-09 because of IBB via Sri Lanka in Urdu on 7440. And now 6170 has more interference besides the tiny Filipino on 6170.4. Oct 26 at 1431, 6170 had Chinese co-channel with SAH, while nothing was audible here on 7440. However, it`s not China to blame this time, but instead VOR, which per Aoki is now running 6170 at 11-15 due west via Khabarovsk in Chinese and Mongolian. RNZI should keep looking for an acceptable clear channel on the 7 MHz band, which ought to reach NAm later and better too (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** PORTUGAL. 15690 now with RDPI, Oct 26 at 1514 mentioning Emissora Nacional, modulation distorted. This is the best we can do on weekday mornings in NAm for RDPI reception, as 15560 runs toward us only on weekends, and if there is something `special` (like a football game) on a weekday, unlikely. Per the B-09 sked via Carlos Gonçalves in DXLD 9-077, 15690 is really toward India and Mideast, M-F at 14-16 with the 300 kW São Gabriel transmitter necessarily cut back to only 100 kW on this particular antenna azimuth, 81.5 degrees, and only a fraxion of that USward (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** RUSSIA [and non]. Another check of R. Rossii, Pet/Kam on 6075, Oct 26: at 1358 still motorboating, and co-channel QRM to boot in Chinese. At 1400 two very out-of-synch timesignals mixing a few sex apart; one seemed 6 pips, the other 5+1, i.e. the last one higher and/or longer. Again no sign of VVV marker on CW from 8GAL on 6074. Then the Chinese continues on 6075. Ron Howard confirms it`s CNR1 jamming from *1355 against Taiwan from 1400 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SAUDI ARABIA. Awful loud wideband buzz proclaiming to the world the incompetence of the kingdom`s engineering, 15435 but spreading 15420-15450, Oct 26 at 1512 with Arabic modulation JBA underneath. Same was audible weaker before 1500 on 21505. At 1526, I found one BSKSA transmitter still running on 13m, Qur`an on 21460, and not // clear 15225 which was presumably // the other service on 15420-15450. Riyadh 21460 is scheduled until 1600; 21505 and 21640 until 1500 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. Brother Scare is being heard again as the main speaker on The Overcomer Ministry, and has again replaced The University Network on WWCR 13845! Oct 26 at 1412 as I was noting WEWN QRMary from spurry 13835, there`s BS again instead of PMS or DGS. At the moment he was saying he was ``going thru a personal crisis``, whatever that means. (Perhaps has been diagnosed with terminal hoarseness or dementia?) No, he adds it`s an ``attack from Satan``. This was running 9 seconds ahead of WWRB 9385. Is it still BS for a semi-day on WWCR, then back to DGS? Looks that way; next check at 1802, PMS was back on 13845, unknown when the switch.

Also found B.S. on 17485, good signal at 1550 Oct 26. With Jülich defunct and about to be scrapped(?), for B-09 this transmission has been switched to due south from Wertachtal, daily at 15-16. Since he never learned how to pronounce Jülich any way but ``Jew-lick``, what will he do with Wertachtal if he ever tries to say that? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SPAIN [and non]. 11815 at 1501 Oct 26 collision between REE Costa Rica still running IS until off at 1502* and another station with folk music, which must be V. of Turkey as sked in Turkish via Çakirlar at 14-17, 320 degrees to Europe and consequently NAm beyond. Note to SW station operators: avoid keeping your transmission on a few minutes beyond scheduled closing, especially if colliding with another station. Of course in this case they were already clashing for over an hour.

REE holding up on 13m, as late as 1553 Oct 26, better on 21570 than // 21610; Libya also in on 21695 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** TURKEY. Another check of VOT`s English broadcast retimed to 1330, Oct 26: 12035 now correctly in English with news by YL, fair signal, and better than // 15300 which had a fast SAH mixing with France. Another check at 1406 found non-Turkish music on 12035, stronger than 15300 still with CCI, but clear on 12035 so maybe VOR is not really active on the latter from 1400 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also SPAIN [and non]

** U S A. WEWN on new 13835, Oct 26 at 1412, VG signal at 335 degrees with YL priest, er, preacher, bad news for WWCR 13845, since the 13835 transmitter is the one with the spurs, mushing up 13845; however I could not detect a match on 13825, maybe too much Martí from 13820. WEWN now scheduled on 13835 at 13-15, but already off at 1457 check, moving English to next frequency 15610. See also SOUTH CAROLINA [non] (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 11695, Oct 26 at 1332, chime IS and IDs as ``International Voice of Trans World Radio``, but no site or calls given. VG signal separable from RTTY circa 11688. Figured I could easily look it up later, but no sign of KTWR or some TWR on or near this frequency in Aoki B-09, nor on any TWR regional schedule I can find. Testing for a new service? From good steady signal, most likely Guam. I see that VOA Vietnamese via Tinang, Philippines is scheduled until 1330 on 11695 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 13730, circa 1 kHz tone test at 1542 Oct 26. Figured it might be Austria, whose schedule has been open to question in B-09, but they supposedly quit the frequency now at 1400; could be Wertachtal, but it too should not be daily or after 1500 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###